Improvement in finery-fires for the manufacture of iron



T. ASH 8|. Z. WALKER.

Finery Fires for the Manufacture ofv Iron. No.,l44,82i. J PatentedNov.25,1873.

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UNITE STATES PATENT CFFICE.

THOMAS ASH AND ZEOHARIAH WALKER, OF TBENTON, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN FlNERV-HRES FOR THE MANUFACTURE 0F IRQN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,821, dated November 25, 1873; application filed August 22, 1873.

' specification Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a central vertical longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 is a central vertical transverse section, of our improved charcoal-iron fire or furnace. Fig.

' 3 is a horizontal section taken in the line 00 3 showing the connection of our improved fires or furnaces with a boiler.

The present invention relates to that class of furnaces or fires, so called, used in the manufacture of charcoaliron, the principal objects of these improvements being to provide a durable and economical furnace, by the use of which a great saving of iron and charcoal is secured, and the quality of the iron improved; also, of utilizing the waste heat of the fire to operate the boiler, so as to make the required blast, and drive a hammer to hammer the manufactured iron. Our improvements consist, mainly, of a charcoal-iron fire or furnace, constructed of wrought-iron instead of castiron, as heretofore, and arranged, as will be hereinafter more fully described, with a watercompartment between the outer and inner walls or casings and of providing the latter with cast-iron false plates, arranged to be readily removed when cracked or injured, and replaced without. detriment to the other portions of the fire. These improvements also consist of connecting several of the fires or furnaces with a boiler, as will be duly explained, so as to utilize the waste heat of the fires for heating the boiler.

We will now proceed to describe the arrangement and advantages of these improvements.

In the drawings, A represents the outer walls or casing of the furnace or fire for making charcocl-iron, said walls being made of wrought-iron, and arranged on the front with an opening, a, for the admission of iron and coal, and suitably arranged to be closed and opened, as required, and provided below with a cinder-plate for the removal of the dross. Projecting from the front at a proper height from the ground is a fire-plate, B, having an outer upward lip, b, and supported 011 vertical forks O O, flanged at the rear, where they are bolted or otherwise secured to the front of the furnace. At the center of the lower portion of the sides of the furnace the exterior walls A are recessed and arched, as at A, and are closed on the interior by adjustable cast-iron false-plates D, having an opening, d, to receive a suitable blast. The bottom of the exterior walls, on each side of the arched recesses A, connect with a wrought-iron interior wall or casing, E, that extends partly up on each side of the interior of the furnace, and is arched at the top, thus forming a water-compartment, F, between the outer and inner casings of the furnace. The-top of the furnace is, if desired, made adjustable, and is provided with an orifice, f, for the introduction of water into the compartment F, and an orifice, g,'is formed near the top of one of the outer sides A for the escape of water, a constant flow of which is thus allowed between the outer and inner casings of the furnace. By means of the adjustable false plates D a great saving is made, for, being of cast-iron and of little cost, and being located where the heat of the fire is greatest, in case of their cracking or breaking .they may be economically and readily replaced without detriment or expense to the rest of the furnace, which, being of wrought-iron and its inner casing surrounded by water, is not so liable to be injured by the heat, and is therefore more durable than the ordinarilyconstructed fires. Moreover, by lessening the intensity of the heat of the furnace walls or casings, as above described, the combustion is more gradual and perfect, the quality of the iron is therefore improved, and the quantity of coal and iron used in the manufacture is diminished. In the rear wall or casing of the furnace is a circular aperture, Gr, which receives one end of a tube, H, that connects with the interior tube K of a single tubular or other boiler, K, ar ranged as usual with a fire-box, L, supplied with doors I, and with an ash-pit, provided with suitably-arranged doors and grate M. The tube H is formed with a double casing having an air-passage, h, between. Said air-space h is closed at the fire-end of the tube H, and opens at the other end into the space or passage P between the casing of the inner tube K and the outer casing of the boiler K. By this connection of a boiler with several-say, three on each side-furnaces or fires, which may be arranged on either one or both sides of the boiler, as shown in Fig. 3, it will readily be seen that the waste heat, which has heretofore been allowed to escape through the chimney, is conducted from the fires, through the tubes H, into the boiler K, and utilized for the purpose of making the required blast, and to drive a hannner to hammer the iron made, thereby saving the fuel heretofore required in operating the boiler, which, in the present case, requires no fuel besides that used by the furnaces, except the Very small amount that may be necessary to first start the boiler.

The furnace, if desired, may be used independently of the boiler, in which case it is connected, as usual, with a chimney. A sulphurescape may, if desired, be arranged under the inside plates to prevent their cracking or warping 5 and the inner' casings may be arched on the top, as described, or otherwise arranged, as preferred, to form a water-compartment.

By the use of the fires or furnaces constructed and arr nged as described, a saving of twenty-five per cent. of charcoal is made, and of twenty-three per cent. of iron in the scrap. Moreover, the quality of the iron is,

by the improved combustion secured by the arrangement of the water-compartment hereinabove mentioned, very much improved.

These furnaces may be made at little expense, and with care will last for many years, requiring occasionally the insertion of only new false plates, the inside plates or casing outlasting three plates of the ordinary construction. Besides, as arranged, our improved fires are much cooler to work.

When only one fire is used, it may, if desired, be connected with, and its waste heat aid in heating, the boiler; but when it is desired to heat the boiler independently of its own fire, several fires may be connected with it, as above described.

Having thus fully described our improve ments, what we claim as our invention, and desire to have secured to us by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. A fire or furnace for making charcoaliron, having its outer and inner walls or casings constructed of wrought-iron, substantially as specified.

2. A charcoal-iron fire or furnace, con structed of wrought-iron plates or casings A E, with the water-space F between said casings, and provided with orifices f and g for the introduction and exit of the water, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of one or more charcoaliron fires or furnaces with a boiler, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS ASH. ZECHARIAH WALKER. Witnesses:

SAML. M. BARTON, FELIX Snow. 

